Publishers' Note Fall 2011

Recently we saw The Cave of Forgotten Dreams, a documentary by Werner Herzog. The film takes the viewer on a visual journey exploring the 30,000-year-old paintings inside the cave of Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc, in southern France. Powerful images of long-extinct animals, crafted by torchlight, transported us back in time. In the film, Herzog explores the very nature and origins of humanness and our urge to communicate; it’s astonishing to realize that at our core there is a need to convey meaningful information. And 30,000 years later, we’re still hard at work connecting with each other, trying to share what is meaningful.

Crop Mobsters

Barley is furry. It is, in the eyes of Nick Cowles, “…golden and beautiful and furry…and it might tickle.”

Nick was preparing a group of Green Mountain Crop Mob volunteers to enter his fields at Shelburne Orchards this past July. He was responding to a question about appropriate clothes for that morning’s work. The furry warning, and a gesture to the bathroom (recently cleaned in our honor), were all we needed before setting off through the orchards toward the five acres of barley we’d signed on to weed that morning.

Thinking Outside the Bordeaux

Folks have been fermenting things for as long as there have been reasons to get drunk. Okay, crop preservation was probably more of a reason for fermentation, but I’m sure that inebriation was an added perk for many early consumers. Before refrigeration was an option, people needed to either dry, ferment, or culture foods to carry them through the lean months. When Vermont was more rural, each farm needed to produce food for their own winter larders, so fermented fruit, honey, and maple drinks were common.

Learning at the Market

Shop, Learn, Connect— that’s our market’s slogan, and this summer we emphasized the second word “learn” with 15 teaching demonstrations held during market hours. Intended to match the spirit of the market (local, seasonal, and affordable), the demonstrations helped customers learn how to preserve foods to enjoy year-round, how to prepare a variety of dishes from local produce, and how to stretch their food dollar. We partnered with Montpelier-area chefs, our market vendors, and food educators to lead these almost-weekly demonstrations.

Humane Heft

Chalk up another “first” for Vermont.

The state was the first to outlaw slavery, the first to legalize civil unions, and the first to pass a single-payer health care law, among other singular achievements. It may not be as significant, but the fact that Vermont recently became the first state to require local slaughterhouses to file a written humane handling plan falls in line with the state’s tradition of leading the way on moral issues.

Classroom, Cafeteria, Community

From the First Lady to the USDA and Governor Peter Shumlin to celebrity chef Jaime Oliver, there is a growing national interest in improving the health and nutrition of our schoolchildren. Vermont will be among the last states to appear on Oliver’s Food Revolution, a television program meant to save America’s health by helping kids and adults change the way they eat, but perhaps that’s because our state has been leading the way by developing Farm to School (FTS) programming for more than a decade.

Having Both Lives

Why anybody would want to be either a farmer or a poet when there were spools turning in factories was beyond the grasp of the old man. That his grandson should desire to be both was almost enough to bring on a stroke.”

According to the grandson’s biographer, “Determined in his course, Robert laid the whole matter before his grandfather. He would have a farm, live on it, produce his food with his own labor, and write poetry.”

Hooping it Up

For much of the summer, the sun rises too early for even early birds to see it. But you probably noticed the nights arriving earlier when August rolled around. Perhaps you walked outside at dusk and felt the absence of the swallows. By the time this article hits the stands in September, you’ve probably had your first light frost(s). Maybe even a killing frost, although with climate change it’s all less predictable now.

Set the Table with Sweet Potatoes

In prehistoric cave sites in Peru, scientists have found remains of sweet potatoes dating back to the dawn of agriculture 10,000 years ago. It is one of the oldest vegetables grown by humans. Yet even with that amount of history in every velvety, sensuous mouthful, the sweet potato is also a plant of the future, and may be a very important plant indeed for Vermont’s future. We are witnessing the arrival and adaptation of a new staple food crop to the Northeast—a rare and exciting event.

Packing Local Lunches 101

Packing your child’s lunch every day can be a challenge. Below are some tips for cutting down on costs, time, and the energy you put into your child’s brown bag lunch—and adding some locally grown goods!

Farmers' Kitchen—Tomatillo Tamworths

Yankee and Doodle squealed in the crate in the back of the Subaru. We were as shocked by the piglets’ lung capacity as we were by the fact that we, two former vegetarians, were about to start raising and selling meat! Once we got them home, they settled in quickly in the barn, scratching against the hand-hewn beams and eventually burying their noses in sweet-smelling hay.

A Tasty Tour

Year One: A Good Cause. Managing our farm, my wife and I try to respect a Sunday off, cultivating diversity in our lives as we do in our fields. So in September 2008, a neighbor and I chose to ride the first annual "Tour de Farms," an Addison County bike-to-farms ride of various lengths, organized by Rural Vermont, the Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN), and the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition. Having chosen the 30-mile loop, the rolling hills of Addison County on that clear morning were stunning.

Vermont Wine & Spirits Guide

Vermont is home to a thriving spirits industry. Our in-state distillers are producing a wide variety of products from vodka and maple liqueurs to gin and rye whiskey. Many of them are winning national acclaim and international awards for their fine quality and appealing flavor. A number of the distilleries have their own tasting rooms where the products they make can be sampled and purchased. You may also find local distillers at farmers’ markets, special events, or festivals around the state.

A Tasty Tour

Riders in the Tour de Farms

Written By

Matthew Burke

Written on

September 01 , 2011

Year One: A Good Cause. Managing our farm, my wife and I try to respect a Sunday off, cultivating diversity in our lives as we do in our fields. So in September 2008, a neighbor and I chose to ride the first annual "Tour de Farms," an Addison County bike-to-farms ride of various lengths, organized by Rural Vermont, the Addison County Relocalization Network (ACORN), and the Vermont Bicycle and Pedestrian Coalition. Having chosen the 30-mile loop, the rolling hills of Addison County on that clear morning were stunning. The farms that welcomed riders each had a unique character and offered plenty of smiles and samples: bread, maple syrup, meats, cheeses, yogurt, wine, apples, and cider donuts. Having treated ourselves, I was home in time to feed the pigs.

Year Two: Friends and Family. Word was out: The Tour is Vermont quality, accessible to all. Family members joined me in 2009, choosing the shorter 10-mile loop, but afterward they felt they could have gone farther. I repeated the 30-mile, taking in more details of the land. A few farms had changed, a few were added. There were many more riders, better coordination, improved road signs, and the post-ride gathering at the Shoreham town green was a larger event, offering music, food and celebration. I returned home in time to move our sheep to fresh pasture.

Year Three: Local Abundance. I chose the 25-mile loop last year. I enjoyed the change and saved more energy for the last few challenging hills. Summers in Vermont come and go too quickly to allow me more than a handful of rides each growing season; most of my "cycling" is done from house to field and field to house. But during this third tour, I stayed on longer at the farms, talking with other growers. I made some scribbled notes on the back of the map: varieties, techniques, phone numbers. The ride offered me a rare opportunity to visit a handful of skilled producers during the height of the growing season. Having moved the sheep early that morning, I lingered at the green.

Year Twenty? Feed the Revolution. The ride—set to take place this year on Sunday, September 18—also offers plenty of opportunity to quietly consider the land, as it is now, and as it could become. I can imagine a future Vermont of farms, forests, rivers, hilltops, and towns, all served by dedicated bike paths, well constructed and well marked—a true rural transportation alternative. The trails would connect town to town across the state, linking inns, B&Bs, ski resorts, natural areas, and of course, working farms. The Vermont bike trail system would become a destination for visitors, a link for communities, a path for wildlife, and a market opportunity for farm stands and pick-your-owns. Locals and visitors alike would appreciate the quiet and beauty of the working landscape, while pedaling from point to point, powered by the energy of local produce. That's a picture of sustainability.

See you at Year Four! To register for the September 18th Tour de Farms, go to ruralvermont.org/events/tdf/ or call Rural Vermont at 802-223-7222. Advance registration ends on September 12 but day-of registrations are accepted.

Contributing Authors Fall '11

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A quarterly magazine devoted to covering local food, sustainable farming, and the many people building the Vermont food system.

Vermont's Local Banquet Magazine illuminates the connections between local food and Vermont communities. Our stories, interviews, and essays reveal how Vermont residents are building their local food systems, how farmers are faring in a time of great opportunity and challenge, and how Vermont’s agricultural landscape is changing as the localvore movement shapes what is grown and raised here.